T-Mobile’s John Legere Challenges AT&T, Verizon To $1.5 Million #CleanUpWireless Challenge

A day after T-Mobile US announced its commitment to 100% renewable electricity by 2021, the company’s CEO and president John Legere has committed $500,000 to a non-profit dedicated to advancing clean energy initiatives and promised that, if AT&T or Verizon join in the commitment, it will double or triple its original commitment.

T-Mobile US announced on Monday that it had committed to securing 100% of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources by 2021, and backed that commitment up by joining the RE100 initiative.

A day later on Tuesday, T-Mobile CEO and president John Legere published a video committing $500,000 to a non-profit dedicated to advancing clean energy initiatives. But that wasn’t enough for Legere, who also challenged big-name competitors AT&T and Verizon to join in the commitment. If one of T-Mobile’s competitors commits by June 1, the company will double its commitment to $1 million. If both companies commit, T-Mobile will triple its commitment to $1.5 million.

It’s all part of Legere’s #CleanUpWireless Challenge, an effort to get people on board to challenge AT&T and Verizon to join T-Mobile in committing to #CleanUpWireless. Legere is encouraging people to get involved and “make their voice heard” by doing one of two things:

  • Go to the Green America “Hang Up on Fossil Fuels” campaign page and let Randall @ AT&T and Lowell @ Verizon know that they should match T-Mobile’s commitment.
  • Flood the @AT&T and @Verizon social media accounts with demands that they join T-Mobile to #CleanUpWireless

“We’re going to drag the other guys kicking and screaming into the clean power future… like we have with every other major change in wireless over the last five years,” Legere said. “If we get loud enough, we may actually be able to force the Duopoly to do something good…Something that benefits more than just their wallets — something that future generations can thank us for.”

Unsurprisingly, T-Mobile and John Legere’s recent commitments have been warmly welcomed by clean energy advocates.

“It’s great to see T-Mobile US shifting to renewables for its power consumption,” said Sam Kimmins, Head of RE100 at The Climate Group. “As a large electricity consumer in the US, they can truly transform energy systems by bringing significant renewable capacity online — all of that while delivering real value to their customers. I congratulate them for a great commitment.”

“This is a game-changer within the telecom industry, which has lagged behind other sectors in making commitments to clean energy,” said Todd Larsen, executive co-director of consumer and corporate engagement at Green America. “T-Mobile is making it clear that it is entirely possible for telecom companies, with their massive energy use, to make a 100 percent clean energy commitment. AT&T, Verizon and Sprint should all make similar commitments.”

“Consumers who care about the climate now have an environmentally conscious option when choosing a cell phone provider. They can support a company that is making an unprecedented 100 percent clean energy commitment,” added said Beth Porter, program director for Green America. “People should not have to choose between using their phones to text and tweet, and protecting the planet. If T-Mobile’s announcement helps move the entire industry to 100% renewable energy, we won’t have to make that choice.”

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